SA国际传媒

This is a weekly feature that runs down the week鈥檚 top 10 funding rounds in the U.S. Check out 2022鈥檚 biggest funding rounds here.

Although blockchain and biotech saw the most large rounds this week, the biggest winner was a supply chain tech company鈥攚ith a nearly $1 billion round. While it is not surprising to see investors throw money at the supply chain sector, seeing an adtech company get a round of more than a quarter-billion dollars is slightly out of the ordinary in this day and age. But investors showed some love to a sector that has seen fewer venture dollars the past couple years.

1.听, $935M, supply chain: Venture money is pouring into the supply chain tech sector, and that is where we鈥檒l start this week. San Francisco-based Flexport locked in a $935 million Series E led by and , which included participation from new investor , at a $8 billion valuation. The global freight forwarder and logistics platform moved nearly $19 billion in merchandise across 112 countries last year鈥攅ven as global supply chains suffered from multiple disruptions鈥攖he company said in a release. Even after a record year of funding in 2021, the supply chain management space already has seen a half dozen rounds of more than a quarter-billion dollars, so investors鈥� appetite still does not seem sated. Flexport has now raised more than $2 billion, according to SA国际传媒 data.

2.听, $300M, adtech: Just last week Facebook parent company and others mentioned their ad businesses took a hit because of privacy changes. However, when one opportunity dries up, another is born. Palo Alto, California-based Branch, a cross-platform solution for mobile linking and attribution, this week raised a $300 million round at a $4 billion valuation, led by existing investor . Despite the Apple changes, Branch has figured out ways to measure ad performance that complies with 础辫辫濒别鈥檚 new rules, along with other ways to help advertisers. Adtech has taken a hit in venture fussing in recent years, but Branch seems to have bucked that trend.

3.听, $250M, data: Data runs the world and Starburst is trying to help companies get more insights from it faster and easier. The company closed a $250 million Series D led by at a $3.35 billion valuation. The round brings Starburst’s total financing to date to $414 million. The company鈥檚 data-driven insights are designed to help improve business performance, detect fraud and more, while also offering fast and easy-to-access data no matter where it is stored.

4. (tied) , $200M, blockchain: Building on blockchain was big this week with investors鈥攁s usual. First up is San Francisco-based Alchemy, which closed a new $200 million 鈥淪eries C-1鈥� led by and that values the company at $10.2 billion. That is nearly triple the valuation it received back in October when it raised a $250 million series C. The company is looked at as the of blockchain in the sense that it provides tools and hosting for those wanting to transact on blockchain and Web3. Similar to what did for those who wanted hosted businesses on the cloud.

4. (tied) , $200M, blockchain: Next up in the blockchain world is Aleo, which provides a platform for building private blockchain-based applications. The San Francisco-based company raised a $200 million Series B led by and 2. The new round gives the company a valuation of $1.45 billion鈥攎inting it as a new unicorn.

6.听, $192.5M, metals: Berkeley, California-based KoBold Metals closed a $192.5 million Series B, . The round included investment from , , BHP Group and the . KoBold is backed by and looks to use artificial intelligence to find metals needed for electric vehicles and renewable energy.

7. (tied)聽, $140M, cybersecurity: Palo Alto, California-based API security company Salt Security closed a $140 million Series D round led by , earning the company a $1.4 billion valuation and minting it as cybersecurity鈥檚 latest unicorn. The new round brings the company鈥檚 total funding to $271 million, with $210 million raised in the past 12 months.

7. (tied) , $140M, biotech: Small molecule therapeutics developer Ventus Therapeutics raised a $140 million Series C co-led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and . The company,聽 located in Montreal and Waltham, Massachusetts, has raised a total of $300 million, according to SA国际传媒 data.

9. (tied)聽, $101M, biotech: San Diego-based Endeavor BioMedicines, a developer of treatments targeting pulmonary fibrosis, completed a $101 million Series B led by and . The company has raised a total of $163 million, according to SA国际传媒 data.

9. (tied)聽, $101M, biotech: Watertown, Massachusetts-based Seismic Therapeutic, which uses machine learning for immunology drug development, closed a $101 million Series A led by .

Big global deals

While Flexport pulled in the largest round of the week globally, its funding was the only raise by a U.S. company to make the top five (Branch ties for fifth). Here鈥檚 a rundown of the next four largest rounds globally.

• Cardiovascular specialist chain raised a $400 million Series D.
• , a developer of ports and industrial zones, closed a $326.7 million round.
• London-based fintech startup raised a $312 million Series G.
• India-based , a logistics and distribution platform, closed a Series E worth approximately $300 million.

Methodology

We tracked the largest rounds in the SA国际传媒 database that were raised by U.S.-based companies for the seven-day period of Feb. 5 to 11. Although most announced rounds are represented in the database, there could be a small time lag as some rounds are reported late in the week.

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